The chase adventure
by MYcakes
Summary: Friendships can develop at the strangest places, but there are better places than a cursed temple to let that happen.


A/N: Hope you enjoy this short story on how Fred met Athena and I'm sorry for any dumb errors. I don't own PJO.

* * *

Frederick's definition of a good time wasn't a family trip into an ancient, decaying, temple, and neither was it his sister Natalie's idea, but it was Randolph's turn to pick where they should go. The tour guide wasn't even doing his job, but letting Randy take over."Oh look at this! These writing were done by the Babylon priests- it either means cull or grope breasts," his voice high with excitement.

Fred's interest and attention kept diminishing. He imagined himself back home reading a good book where there was processed air.

"Okay then!" The guide said over Randy's excited rambling. "I need to make a quick call," the guide glanced at the oldest Chase who hadn't heard him.

"Go ahead and we'll just stay here," Nat said. The guide didn't look so sure.

"Seriously go. We're not going anywhere," Fred said motioning at an entranced Randy who was still reading the weird lines on the cracked walls. "We'll be fine."

"Don't touch anything alright," the guide hesitated for a second but left without another glance.

"Don't worry about us getting cursed or stepping on a trap," Nat muttered and Fred chuckled being near enough to hear her. They turned back to their older brother only to find him missing.

"Randolph!" Fred shouted worried already.

"We're distracted for one second and he goes and gets lost!" Nat said wryly.

"Guys check this out! A shiny rock" their brothers voice came from deeper in the narrow passage.

They ran to their brother voice, not really wanting to going deeper in and Randy pointed to the very obvious blue sapphire shining his flashlight on it. It was lodged into the wall and presented itself as an eye for some dancing demon.

"Oh! Thats-" Nat started.

"Creepy," Fred imputed.

"Cool," the other two corrected him. Natalie looked at the impressive scratched figure but Randolphs eyes were fixed glittering sapphire.

"How could the archaeologist miss this precious stone," Randy asked.

Natalie shrugged, "lets all take a picture, call it a day and leave."

"Good idea," Fred said taking out the camera but Randy reached out and touched the rock. "We had one rule," Fred sighed and tried to slap his brothers hand of it but it was to late and in Randy's hand was the small stone pulled from its socket.

Then they fell. The earth shook and the floor caved.

"Ahhhhh!" Randy hit the floor first, Fred next to him, and Nat landed on top of Randy, "Oomph!"

"Ow..." they moaned and coughed at the old, and dusty air. "I think I'm bleeding," Fred hissed and Nat rushed to get off Randy and point her tiny flashlight to her injured brother.

"Where?" Randy asked worried.

"My leg. I think I fell on something pointy and ahhhhh!" screamed Fred horrified and tried to get up.

"Hey, hey calm down. What is it?" Randy said steadying his scared little brother.

"What is that!" Fred pointed down and they all used their flashlights to illuminate the floor. Broken skulls and skeletons was what the were standing on.

"Oh my God!" Nat looked around. They were in a circular chamber and the hole above them was far too up. There was a single hall in this floor. "Oh crap. Do you think the tour guide will take long?"

"Or where to look for us?" Fred said touching his leg. Randy pulled the cloth around his neck and tied it around the small cut.

"Doesn't look to bad but- oh! Oh, oh! what is that?" Randy jumped distracted by the interesting glowing writing on the walls.

"Skeletons, injury, trapped in the dark, glowing drawings most likely written in blood and hallucinating because of the bad air," Fred said, "This doesn't look promising, we should leave."

"Agreed," Nat nodded and they pulled Randy but he wouldn't budge.

"You guys go on ahead. I think I can read this," he said looking very determined.

"Randolph," Fred whined.

"That sounds like a terrible idea but if we end up dying I'm blaming you," Nat snipped.

The passage was barren of skeletons except for dead spiders and snakes nothing looked like it was going to come to life and jump them.

"Reptiles. Why do pagan gods like them?" Nat grumbled walking over crisped snake skin.

"Humans keep poodles in their purses. You're not one to talk," a clearly amused voice said next to her and Nat screamed grabbing at Fred. She could use him as a distraction while she ran. Fred yelped as his sister pushed him toward the voice but before he could fall hands pressed to his shoulders and straightened him.

"Careful there," said the feminine voice and Fred pulled back until his back was to the wall. His shaking hands grabbed his flashlight and he tried to see what was going to eat him.

"Oh..." his voice trailed off and surprise showed in his face.

There was no scaly, long nailed, flashy monster but an olive skin woman with dark hair that went past her shoulders. Her sharp grey eyes cut him open and he felt exposed as she studied him and he did it right back but in a much less intimidating way. She was wearing a star wars t-shirt, dark denim jeans and flip flops. Her face was beautiful, fierce, her jawline was perfect and even though her arms were resting by her side he could see coiled muscle.

Her head tilted left by a few inches, "you smell nice and have a...gravitational pull. Not enough to attract monsters but its noticeable for anyone that focuses," she informed him and Frederick looked at her in disbelief.

"Now I know I'm hallucinating. I smell like dirt, sweat, dead bodies and other nasty body odors," he wrinkled his nose. The laughter that the hallucination made sent butterflies to his stomach and made him forget the pain in his leg. He wished he looked more presentable and not like he just fell on dead bodies.

"Then your sister was hallucinating the same thing," she asked smiling and the fierce light from his flashlight on her face didn't seem to bother her so he wasn't completely sure he wasn't making this up.

"My sister? My sister! Where-" he pointed his flashlight left and right but she was nowhere to be seen.

"She went that way," the woman pointed where he had come from. "That brings me back to why we're here...why are you here?" she inquired.

Her stare made him want to squirm and wipe the filth he was covered even if she was a hallucination.

"My family and I are on a trip. There was a stone and then the floor caved and then creepy dead people on the floor," he explained while tentatively pressing on his throbbing leg.

"Yeah thats never a good sign. You should have payed more attention to the Disney movie Aladdin," she said smirking but it was a good-natured smirk. "Can you walk? Hang on," she approached him and hovered over his cut. Nothing happened for a minute and then a comforting warm sensation like warm baths embraced him. She retracted her hand and the nice feeling overcame his pain until it was a small ache. "Better?"

"Uhm yeah," he blushed at the attention.

"Good, its not healed completely but it'll keep you from writhing. You should get back to your siblings and leave. The gods of pain in the ass liked to scheme here."

"Huh, gods?"

"Enki, Loki, Prometheus, Anasi," the woman listed, voice full of pained annoyance like she personally knew them. "They're not bad but not good enough to leave a place like this without a little surprise. I used to get dragged here back then. Earlier I heard someone say my name...I did not join this club willingly, Enki can't take no for an answer," she grumbled the last part.

 _Surprise?_ Fred thought peering at the hallucination, _club? Is she real and part of some gang?_ "...er who are you exactly mrs hallucination," the nick name caused a snort to escape the woman's lips and her mood brightened.

"I have many names. Call me Sasha."

"Wow this is a very detailed hallucination. She has an alias and everything," he chuckled wiping away the sweat collecting on his brow.

"In all seriousness you guys should get out of here. I've disabled all the death curses-"

"Death?"

"-and traps that lead to outside. If you keep going the same way you should reach the exit leading to the desert."

"I hope you're right Sasha. Now to go-" Two screams cut him off. He took off running to the directions of the screams, fear pumping into his veins and dulling the pain in his legs. Worry for his siblings burned into him and not even the monstrous roar slowed him down.

Sasha quickly took the lead, "Are you...upgraded?"

"What?" he didn't understand what that was supposed to mean.

"Demigod, magician, alien experiment?"

"No! Not that I know of. I'm a normal teenager," he said getting closer to the screaming.

"Okay. Get your family and I'll distract whatever those jerks sealed in here," she told him.

"You're a hallucination Sasha!" He reminded her as they passed the gate way and a giant creature floated in the middle.

"Ahhhh!" Fred screamed but Sasha cursed.

"An angel! Seriously! How did they trap an angel? Great, they don't like my kind," Sasha said exasperated.

Fred looked at her shocked. That didn't look any painting of an angel he's seen before. No dove wings, haunting beauty and white skin, no this creature looked like an eldritch monster.

"I guess this is better than dinner with Nike's family. Go! I'll distract it."

He scrambled away when she began to grow taller. For a moment he caught what looked like a feather tattoo on her side. The angel shot out a tentacle to choke her but she caught it and squeezed until it made a crushing sound. He didn't see that part because he was busy grabbing his frozen siblings and pulling them to the exit.

"Come on!" he yelled trying to get them to wake up and it worked because they blinked rapidly. The two teens sprinted but Fred lingered. "Sasha!"

"I said go!" she grunted wrestling the freaky creature.

"Don't die!" he ordered then went to catch up to his siblings.

Randy had waited for him, wrapped his arm around Fred's waist and helped him limp faster.

"Who was that!" He asked wide eyed.

"What was that!" Fred shot back.

"Someone decided to read from the wall. Has Lara Croft taught you nothing," Nat said a few feet ahead of them and she kept glancing back.

As Sasha said there weren't anymore unpleasant surprises. They made it out, breathing heavily and pretty scared. The sun was starting to die and they realized how long they had been there. They went to search for the tour guide who was in the entrance speaking in Arabic to his wife through the phone. It sounded like he was getting yelled at and was happy to say goodbye saying his next tour group was here.

"Where did you guys come from?"

"The desert! There was a pile of bones, I think Randolph summoned a demon, and-" Nat began.

"Wait, wait. You must be thirsty you are speaking nonsense," the tour guide inspecting her.

"No. Look Randy show him what we found!"

Randolph obeyed his sister and pulled out their treasure.

"...that is a rock."

They looked at him shocked. Sure the sapphire was in need of some polishing but there was clearly some shine on it.

"Come, come, lets get you americans out of the sun."

"But-" they tried to argue but he wouldn't hear it. He led them to the car, assuring them they needed some rest and food to feel better.

"Lets not mention this again," Randolph whispered. The other two shot him a questioning look and he glared, giving them his best big brother aura. "To nobody. Not mom and pops either. Got it?"

The drive to their hotel was long. There parents welcomed asking them about their adventure but the kids kept quiet.

Much later Fred was out in the front of the hotels entrance by himself.

"...Sasha?" nothing happened and he decided to put more faith in his voice. It might work like believing in fairies.

"Sasha," silence was what he received and he felt his spirit go down.

"I'm sorry I didn't answer on the first call but you don't have to look so dejected," Sasha said next to him and he jumped alarmed but a smiled quickly spread on his face.

"You're real!" She cocked her head at him and he covered his skin when she pinched him. "Ow, hey!"

"If the imaginary friend gives you pain than she might not be the illusionary consequences of ancient gases messing with your brain," she told him.

"Who or what are you?" he asked.

She shrugged, grey eyes never loosing its steel glint, "I'm Sasha. What I am depends on who's asking. I guess I'm your not so imaginary friend. Can we leave it at that?"

Fred sighed, "you like being mysterious don't you?"

"I'm a private person. But I'm glad you called me."

"Oh?"

"Your brother took something that isn't his," Sasha reminded him.

"Right, the sapphire," he realized, "Of course you'd want it back."

"Its not mine either," she shrugged "but take it from me, gods don't like it when strangers take their stuff," she said sourly. "The thing has a prissy owner."

"I'm sorry we took it and I promise I'll return it to you. My older brothers gotten attached to it but I'll snatch it when he's not looking," he summoned his courage. "I-I'm Frederick Chase by the way. Fred for short."

She smiled a closed lip smile like she had found something cute.

"Chase? Its a pleasure to finally meet you," her eyes twinkled like she held a secret.

* * *

Authors note: Yes, if the clues/description were too vague Sasha is Athena. Fred and Athena are my platonic buddy ship. While the Chase's were doing their Indiana Jones adventure, Athena was getting ready with her companion/ girlfriend Nike to go eat with Nike's family. Athena barely tolerates her own family though and Nike's family is still salty about the Pallas thing. Anyone with the name Pallas should stay far away from Athena. Then Randolph read Athena's name where Loki had squiggled it in without her permission and Athena got alerted. So she ditched the dinner to investigate and no doubt will get an earful from Nike later. I like to think that Athena met Fred when he was 17 and developed a friendship with him, making sure he was okay, helping him in school but strictly seeing him as a kid until he was like past 25. Yes she knows the fates are in a timeline and Annabeth needs to be born to fulfill many great prophecies but she isn't trusting him with a kid until he was more mature, financially secure, and had a place to live.


End file.
